a. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices for preventing the accumulation of snow, ice, and frost on the windshields, windshield wipers, air intake manifolds, and rear windows of vehicles. (Hereinafter, for simplicity, the terms “windshield” and “windshield wipers” will be understood to mean both the windshield and windshield wipers at the front of the vehicle and the window and the windshield wiper, if any, at the rear of the vehicle.) In addition, when used in the presence of sunlight, this invention relates to devices designed to protect a vehicle's interior surfaces and ambient air from heat build-up caused by the sun's rays.
b. Description of the Prior Art
The most common method of handling the problem of the accumulation of snow, ice, and frost on windshields, windshield wipers, and air intake manifolds of vehicles is to remove the snow, ice, and frost by the use of scrapers (which may scratch the glass), brushes, defrosting liquids, and heating devices. As one such heating device, it is almost universal practice for a motorist to run the vehicle's motor at idle and set the heater at defrost, to assist one or more of the other clearing devices employed. These methods of handling the problem usually take considerable time and effort, while subjecting the user to the dangers of exhaust fumes and extreme weather conditions.
In the presence of sunlight, the common method of handling the problem of heat build-up inside the vehicle is to employ some kind of shielding device inside the vehicle over the dashboard, behind the front windshield, and/or inside the vehicle at the rear windshield.
Several covers for windshields have been designed. However, each of these covers has one or more of the following limitations and disadvantages: (1) they do not provide a secure means of attachment to the vehicle, leaving them subject to removal or partial removal by strong winds that very often accompany snow storms; (2) for the same reason they are not designed to deter theft; (3) they are unnecessarily complicated; (4) they are expensive to manufacture; (5) they fail to also cover the windshield wipers, whose operation is necessary if precipitation continues; and (6) they fail to protect the air intake manifold, which is essential for proper ventilation.
The few covers that do attempt to provide some protection for the wipers and/or the air intake manifold are either ineffective or unnecessarily complicated and expensive. One of these devices, for example, under U.S. Pat. No. 6,752,446 to Espinose, et al., is designed to cover the windshield, but also the entire hood of the vehicle. However, for a motorist to have use of a vehicle quickly after a storm or frost, it is necessary to clear only the windshield, the wiper blades, and the air intake manifold. The device also is very complicated, cut and molded from a sheet of polymeric or plastic material, with various flanges, and fastened to the vehicle with an array of screws, bolts, threaded plugs, etc. (Column 3, lines 43-50.) With fastening parts such as these, it is apparent that attaching and detaching it would take a considerable amount of time, or that the device is intended to remain affixed to the vehicle; in that case, some means of uncovering and securing the parts of the shield that are intended to cover the windshield, the wipers, and the air intake manifold would have to be provided. Also, the cover, when not in use, draped over the hood and partly folded up in some manner, would have an unsightly appearance. Further, this device cannot be employed to protect the rear windshield and windshield wipers, if any. Still further, a device comprised of special die-cut and molded material (Column 4, lines 47-49), with the array of fastening hardware mentioned above, would be very expensive to manufacture and sell.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,924 to Owen, the covering system fails to cover the windshield wipers and the air intake manifold, yet it is a complicated device involving a roller mechanism with an axle rod, a retaining rod, a housing, a recoil spring, and several other parts, all comprising a device that would be very expensive to manufacture and sell. Further, this device cannot be employed to protect the rear windshield and windshield wipers, if any.
In still another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,742 to Deng, et al., “the device protrudes from the top of any windshield to serve as a shield and drainage device . . . can be retracted when not in use or removed . . . available as a permanent remote operated unit with roof harness or as a completely removable self-mounted unit.” This device requires a motor and rotating cable arrangement, inter alia. It is expensive, it doesn't protect the front windshield wipers and air intake manifold, and it cannot be employed to protect the rear windshield and windshield wipers, if any.
In still another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,853 to Langley, shows a complicated device with an assortment of panels and pockets, and, in a preferred embodiment, a multi-layered envelop that includes (if the shield is made of material repellent to snow, ice, and frost) an unnecessary heat transmitting material. Further, this device cannot be employed to protect the rear windshield and windshield wipers, if any.
In the prior art, several devices, which are designed to protect the interior of vehicles from the build-up of heat caused by the sun's rays penetrating the windshield, are placed against the inside of the windshield. These will protect surfaces from the sun's direct rays, but they permit the sun's rays to penetrate the windshield before reaching the shielding device, thereby permitting the undesirable heating of the vehicle's interior ambient air and surfaces. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,762 defines a shade that is mounted to an automobile's visor for the purpose of shading the interior of the vehicle from sunlight. However, while it can block the sun's rays from reaching the vehicle's interior surfaces, solar radiation will still be able to penetrate the windshield and heat the interior of the vehicle.
What is needed and not provided in the prior art is a means of dealing with these problems that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and sell; that is therefore inexpensive to purchase; that is lightweight; that can be easily and quickly attached to and detached from a vehicle, at the front or rear windshield; that is compact for shipping, transporting, and storing; that does not require special hardware on the vehicle; that provides a deterrent to theft; and that is adjustable in width.
The present invention addresses all of the limitations and problems found in the prior art and it fulfills all of the criteria listed in the preceding paragraph. Further, the unique combination, construction, and particular configuration of the present invention is clearly distinguishable from the prior art.